Many young students mix up the letter b with the letter d. It is understandable especially since the letters are very similar. But, students don’t have to have b d confusion anymore. There are many tricks to help students master these two letters. Below are my favorite ways to help students who struggle with this type of letter reversal.

My favorite tricks for students who struggle with b d reversals.

1) This catchy b d song from You Tube. I find some students remember concepts better when it is put to music. Songs can help students remember concepts that they otherwise struggle with.

2) Using their thumbs. Have students make two thumbs with their hands. They lift their thumbs up to point to the ceiling. Then, tell them that b comes before d in the alphabet. This means that b is the first thumb that is pointed up and d is the second thumb. This trick works especially well for students who are familiar with alphabetic order.

3) Remembering the letter b poster. Students draw a bat then a ball. Bat and ball start with the b sound allowing students to remember this trick.

4) Remembering the letter d poster. Students draw a doughnut then a door. Doughnut and door start with the d sound allowing students to remember this trick.

5) Making an uppercase B. Another great way is telling students that a b fits inside an uppercase B and a d does not. Have students write an uppercase B first, then they erase the top loop of the B to make a lowercase b. You can head on over to This Reading Mama’s blog to get a free poster. B fits inside b poster

6) Pirate b d Reversal Game. Games are also a great way for students to learn concepts. Students have fun while leaning too. I created this fun Pirate PowerPoint game for interactive whiteboards. Students practice finding the letter b or the letter d. If they find the letter a gem appears on the game board. The team to find the last gem gets points. The first team to get 14 points wins! Pirate b d Reversal Game

Your Turn:What are some of the tricks you use in your classroom? Are there any I missed? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.